Riot Fest has officially come to an end and we couldn’t be in more of a post-festival depression from the entire weekend. We spent three jam-packed days of dancing, eating, laughing, moshing, and watching some of the most talented, on-the-rise bands as well as our favorite OGs. Overall, Riot Fest 2025 was one for the books and I’m here to deliver the day by day of how it all went down.

Boasting five stages over 173 acres in Douglass Park, Riot Fest was filled with much more than the sound of thousands of screaming fans; it was filled with some of Chicago’s most delicious food vendors, a romantic wedding chapel, a wrestling ring, RiotLand — featuring fun photo ops and interactive events — festival-wide convenience marts, VIP and deluxe pass holder viewing areas, and, last but not least, the Butter Stamos.

We started the day off absolutely kickin’ on Friday, I was lucky enough to catch performances by Big Ass Truck I.E., Honey Revenge, Julia Wolf, Touche Amour, Senses Fail, Alkaline Trio, Knocked Loose, and our underdog headliners of the night: The Pogues. It’s always such an amazing feeling walking into day one of any festival, but I think this time was particularly enjoyable because there were so many talented artists playing Riot Fest or making their festival debut, as well as an exciting combination of screaming your lungs out to classics like “Can’t Be Saved,” all within walking distance of each other. Bonus points for Friday were getting to meet and interview the one and only Loviet, who was so incredibly sweet and truly an honor to talk to.

By day two, the dogs were barking a bit, I can’t lie. But that didn’t stop me from getting there nice and early, grabbing myself one of the big ol’ Ghost energy drinks that were plastered at literally every drink and bar station, and pushing through like the trooper I am. Can I just say that getting people absolutely RILED up at 12 in the afternoon for a 30-minute set, after they’ve already been out for one whole day already, is NOT an easy feat. However, Cliffdiver opened up the Rise Stage with a tenacity and energy that I respect so greatly. Not only are they incredible performers, but they are so kind and professional to work with; I am so grateful that I was able to get a chance to interview with them on this day. Other honorable mentions of Saturday’s festivities included Free Throw, Citizen, GWAR, Helmet, Knuckle Puck, The Front Bottoms, Dropkick Murphys, All Time Low, Weezer, and The Beach Boys brought frickin’ JOHN STAMOS out to perform, which I am so upset I did not catch with my raw eyeballs, but my videographer says it was a blast. By the end of Saturday night, we had some small rain showers, but nothing that put a damper on a wonderful evening.

Sunday’s recap was just as exhilarating, but also bittersweet. The days at Riot Fest truly are too short. We tried to pack in the absolute most we could on this day between two photographers and two sets of eyeballs, and it still was not enough to truly capture the entire thing in all it’s essence. We tried to catch pretty much every set we could on this day, at least for a little bit, but I do want to point out one special honorable mention and that is Chase Petra. Making their festival debut and opening up the Rebel Stage, Chase Petra may be a trio, but they are mighty and bring a captivating and exciting performance to the stage; I hope they are able to return for another year in the future. Also, on Sunday, I was able to grab some food over at One Love Kitchen for some jerk chicken and mac and cheese. If there is one thing you take from this article, it should one thousand percent be that jerk chicken is so out of this world delicious it is not even funny. Green Day left us with an explosive performance that was filled with banger after banger — as if they have anything else…duh — ending the night with fireworks and “Good Riddance” just felt so right.

If you want to learn more about Riot Fest 2025, I recommend connecting with fellow festivalgoers on the fan operated Facebook group, or you can try to find yourself in the official riot fest gallery linked here. Happy moshing and I hope to see all your faces in the local scene.